Every American knows the concept of the American dream. It is the social myth at the very heart of national identity. Unlike other countries, the United States is not rooted in a common ancestry, history, or language. Instead, Americans find unity in a common aspiration: hope for a better future for themselves and their children in the land of opportunity. It is the vision that led the Puritans to brave the sea, that inspired the Founding Fathers to sign the Declaration of Independence, and that continues to attract many immigrants to the country. The American dream is deeply ingrained in the culture and psyche of the United States and its citizens. This is a common theme in literature as American authors struggle to interpret social myth in light of reality. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original EssayOne of the most beloved discussions and deconstructions of the American dream is a novel written by Susan Eloise Hinton when she was just sixteen years old. The Outsiders tells the story of seven boys and their struggle to overcome the stereotypes imposed on them by their community. Through the eyes of adolescence, Hinton analyzes the American dream by addressing the chasms that separate the dream from reality, and the reality from the possibility of achieving the dream. Another book with a similar focus is Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America. Unlike The Outsiders, Nickel and Dimed is a non-fictional account of Ehrenreich's experiences as she attempts to support herself by working various blue-collar jobs. Ehrenreich accuses America of abandoning the working poor who, she says, are unable to support themselves on the current minimum wage. And its exhibitions? shows an economic system that encourages the abuse and dehumanization of its low-income workers. Although she emphasizes the importance of financial stability for achieving the American dream, Ehrenreich devotes much of her book to illustrating how the lack of humanity, within the system and between classes, is at the root of the great gap between the rich and social classes. and poor. While Hinton and Ehrenreich approach the American dream from two very different angles, both conclude that mutual respect and understanding among all people, regardless of class, is essential to fully restoring the dream to all Americans. The United States of America was founded on the notion that “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” should be available to every citizen. The belief that these rights are available to all citizens is a great American myth. In his book The American Dream: The Short History of an Idea that Shaped a Nation, Jim Cullen calls this "the idea that individuals have control over the course of their lives...the very heart of the American Dream, the fundamental principle on which everything else.” it depends” (10). Both Hinton and Ehrenreich attack the validity of the myth that equal opportunity is a reality in America and identify it as a source of prejudice and misunderstanding between classes. Ehrenreich's views on poverty, before she began her clandestine research in journalism, correspond strongly with the way average middle- and upper-class Americans think. She describes how she "grew up hearing constantly, to the point of boredom, that 'hard work' was the secret to success" (Ehrenreich 220). However, when she tries to support herself as a blue-collar worker, she discovers that "you[can] work hard—harder even than you ever thought possible—and still find yourself sinking deeper and deeper into poverty and debt” (Ehrenreich 220). In his book Beyond the American Dream, Charles Hayes describes how the disconnect between myth and reality stigmatizes the poor: The higher the level of social position achieved...the more people at that level seem blinded by the relative advantage of their position. For example, the middle class expects the lower strata to simply go for jobs, without realizing the distinct advantage they themselves retain through quality education and connections. social. The typical middle-class businessman…views himself as deserving while he views those at lower economic levels as lazy and unworthy. (18-19) During his experience as a temporary member of the American working class, Ehrenreich found the work exhausting, both physically and emotionally. Working as a housekeeper, she describes "exercise" as "totally asymmetrical, brutally repetitive, and as likely to destroy the musculoskeletal structure as to strengthen it" (Ehrenreich 90). Many of her colleagues work despite pain, malnutrition or pregnancy in order to keep their jobs and because they cannot afford to take unpaid days off. Many cleaners have injuries, whether treated or not, due to their work. Despite the popular belief that poor people can break free from poverty simply by working hard, Ehrenreich's colleagues endure backbreaking work without the opportunity to save enough to change their circumstances or look for another job. Like Ehrenreich, Hinton also argues that equality of opportunity is a myth that contributes to prejudice. In The Outsiders, Ponyboy, the narrator, lives in a world divided by social classes. Poor children living on the East Side, labeled “greasers” by the rest of the community, experience a multitude of stereotypes and stigmatizations. Ponyboy and the other boys who make up his adoptive family, or his gang, know the labels well. En route to combat, they “embrace stereotypes” (Inderbitzen 360) by chanting: “'I'm a greaser…, I'm a JD and a hood. I blacken the name of our beautiful city. I beat people. I steal from gas stations. I am a threat to society. Man, am I having fun... O victim of the environment, deprived, rotten, no-account!' » (Hinton 144). Despite their desire to unite under these stereotypes, Ponyboy's account of events brings the reader to a different understanding of the greasers. One gang member, in particular, offers the reader a new perspective on these dehumanizing stereotypes. Dally, who "spent three years on the wild side of New York and was arrested at the age of ten", is the toughest kid in the group: "tougher, colder, meaner" (Hinton 19). Even Ponyboy, although he respects Dally, doesn't like him. However, the resilient facade quickly crumbles when Dally's friend Johnny dies from injuries sustained while saving children from a burning building. “'That's what you get for trying to help people, you little punk,' Dally snaps at Johnny's body, 'that's what you get…'” (Hinton 157). The circumstances of Dally's life have taught him that selflessness, like Johnny's heroic efforts, only results in personal disaster and pain. Since childhood, Dally has learned to face the world with cool detachment in order to survive the harsh streets of the inner city. When he loses the only person who escaped his defenses and got closer to him, thePain overwhelms Dally. He brandished an unloaded gun at the police, forcing them to shoot him. Although Dally embodied many of the stereotypes imposed on all greasers, he was ultimately just a child trying to protect himself in a world where no parent had ever cared for him. The great tragedy of his death is that Dally still had the potential to be an extraordinary person. Johnny saw him as a strong and “valiant” hero (Hinton 84), someone to admire. Dally's efforts to save Johnny from the fire at the risk of his own life provide a glimpse of the person he could have become if circumstances had been different. Contrary to labels, Dally was not ruined beyond repair or beyond repair by his environment. He was still a human being, and as such, he still had the ability to choose who he could become. The myth therefore perpetuates stereotypes that prevent empathy and guidance from being given to children because they are seen as already helpless. Despite the myth of equal opportunity, the American dream is still present in the hearts of poor and rich Americans. Ehrenreich and Hinton each comment on what the Dream looks like through the eyes of the poor and compare it to the Dream as interpreted by the middle and upper classes. After examining the Dream of each class, the two authors conclude that the Dreams are complementary and not antagonistic. In Nickel and Dimed, the perspectives of those fighting poverty come in the form of interviews with Ehrenreich's colleagues. Toward the end of her job as a housekeeper, Ehrenreich asked the women she worked with what they thought of the owners of the houses they cleaned, "who have so much while others, like them, get by." barely” (118). The answers given by two of the women highlight a commonality in the dream of every person struggling against poverty. Lori responds, “All I think is, wow, I wish I had that thing one day. It motivates me and I don't feel any resentment because, you know, my goal is to get to where they are” (Ehrenreich 118). Colleen's response is somewhat different: "It doesn't really bother me, because I guess I'm a simple person and I don't want what they have." I mean, it's nothing to me. But what I would like is to be able to take a day off from time to time… if I had to… and still be able to do my shopping the next day” (Ehrenreich 119). Although Lori and Colleen have different dreams, the need for economic security is common to both. Without sufficient income to start saving, the poor find themselves trapped in their current situation, with no hope of escaping. Even the ability to find a better-paying job is severely limited by lack of time, energy and transportation. The slightest catastrophe could upend their delicately balanced lives and leave them without a job or money. The Dream of the Rich, as expressed in Nickel and Dimed, comes from the author's own perspective. Ehrenreich's desire to research and write the book, as well as the comments she makes about her own mindset, reveal her own middle-class dream. Reflecting on his “savior complex,” Ehrenreich admits, “Even my motivations seem murky at the moment. Yes, I want to help Holly and everyone who needs it, hopefully on a global scale. I'm a "good person"..., but maybe I'm also just fed up with my suddenly acquired insignificance. Maybe I want to “be someone”…, someone generous, competent, courageous and perhaps above all remarkable” (Ehrenreich 99). The need to count is a need with which she. 2012.